Four Benson City Council members are facing a recall election after refusing to resign over allegations they weren't transparent about a proposed aluminum facility coming to the community.
Vice Mayor Levi Johnson and council members Patrick Boyle, Darren Hayes and Nick Maldonado are all named in a petition filed in October by Committee for a Better Benson.
KGUN9’s reporter Andrew Christiansen approached the council members at a special meeting on Monday seeking interviews about the recall effort. Most declined to speak on camera. It should be noted that the special meeting was not about the recall or proposed aluminum facility.
However, council member Patrick Boyle did agree to an interview in which Christiansen asked him his feelings about the recall election in May.
"I feel as though in resigning I would be capitulating to something I hadn't done," Boyle said.
When asked about allegations he wasn't transparent about the aluminum facility project, Boyle defended his actions.
"I haven't done anything wrong and neither has any of the other council members," Boyle said. "Everything that's been done was done legally and above board."
Council member Nick Maldonado declined an interview, saying he didn't do anything wrong and offering no further comment.
Hayes also declined an interview but provided a statement last week that read in part: "Over the past year, it has been an honor to represent our community, advocate for better infrastructure and work collaboratively with my fellow council members and city staff to make Benson a better place for all."
Johnson did not attend the special meeting and responded to Christiansen thirty minutes before air time asking if he wanted a statement. Christiansen agreed but made it clear he still wants an interview soon. He did not provide the statement by the time KGUN9 aired its 10 P.M. newscast when the story originally aired.
The recall effort stems from community concerns about the proposed aluminum plant and its potential environmental impact on Benson.
"The damage it’s going to do, it's going to kill Benson as we know it," said Theri Nation, who lives in Benson. "Me for one, I will not stay here."
Nation expressed frustration with the council members' handling of the situation.
"I feel sold out," Nation said. "They've clearly went around us, behind us. Their job is to protect and serve the public and they've done everything but that."
The recall election will determine whether the four council members can continue serving despite the community's concerns about transparency regarding the aluminum facility project.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Andrew Christiansen is a reporter for KGUN 9. Before joining the team, Andrew reported in Corpus Christi, Texas for KRIS6 News, Action 10 News and guest reported in Spanish for Telemundo Corpus Christi. Share your story ideas with Andrew by emailing andrew.christiansen@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, or Twitter.
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